Dianda sponsors prison emissions bill

Lawmakers in Lansing continue to look for ways cut costs to our state correctional facilities.

One way that is being tried is privatizing the food service to prisons.

House Representative Scott Dianda of Calumet says that’s not the way to go.

Dianda says, “In Baraga County, with Baraga Max, and the Ojibway Prison in Gogebic County, we will lose jobs and every job that we lose in Upper Michigan — in this district — it’s tough to get those jobs back here again.”

As an alternative, Dianda sponsored legislation that would ask the Department of Corrections to take a look at their energy piece.

“They have seven power plants across the state of Michigan. We’d like to see them go co-generation where we would be able to take power off the grid and they would be self-sustaining,” Dianda explained.

The estimated savings would be $1.6 million.

The bill will be discussed in the Correctional Committee of the House.